03x14 - The Hole Truth

[bunniefuu]

Walter: Previously on Scorpion...

Uh-oh.

Someone you're avoiding knows you're back in L.A.?

They didn't... but they will now.

It was made clear to me that everyone's feelings should be heard.

Not just mine.

You know this will flame out when you eventually snap like a rubber band.

Being genial isn't your nature.

Paige: I'm trying a new approach, and best way to help him is to throw him into the deep end.

I am running for the 16th district alderman of West Altadenia in the local upcoming election.

I-I answered everything honestly.

In politics, honesty'll get you crushed.

Narrator: Throughout American history, we, the people, have had candidates known for strength, integrity... courage... and then there's this guy.

Can Sylvester Dodd really help West Altadenia?

Only if you believe in magic spells.

Vote Patel for alderman.

They edited this to make me look ridiculous.

Yeah, it was the editing.

Politics is a bar-room brawl.

I wouldn't manage you if I didn't believe in you, kid.

When I look at you, I see everything you have to offer.

Thank you, Cabe.

But when everyone else looks at you, they see a man-child wearing a cloak.

It's time to ditch the costumes and act like an adult.

I have.

Happy told me to be myself.

There's just film of me role-playing.

In garb.

You will be the first politician taken down by a never-had-sex tape.

(door opens, closes)

This city is full of incompetents.

Hey, Walt, you okay?

That's a no.

That's a hell of a shiner.

I went to Fro-Yo-Ma.

I was very much looking forward to my Cello Shell-o: liquid chocolate topping that dries into a delicious hard candy shell, when the intractable clerk refused to give me two punches on my loyalty card.

Why would you get two punches?

Because the loyalty card clearly states, “One punch per purchase.” I purchased two Cello Shell-Os.

One for me, one for Ralph. Two purchases, two punches.

One could argue that you made one purchase that included two items.

Yes, such a stupid argument could be made, and it was, by the clerk, and things got... heated.

And you got the extra punch?

Not the one I was looking for.

Morning.

Apparently not for you.

I was assaulted by a contract-breaching yogurt vendor.

Okay.

Hey, uh, Paige?

Happy?

Got a sec?

Fro-Yo-Ma just made the list.

What are you talking about?

It's a yogurt joint.

No, I-I get that, but why are you writing it down?

To keep track.

I-I'm lost. Keep track of what?

Let me explain.

Before you joined the team, Walter's EQ was dangerously low.

He often got into disputes with civilians he had contact with, which led him to be banned from a number of L.A. establishments: restaurants, hardware stores...

That a dentist?

Yeah, he's not welcome back at Dr. Goldfarb's.

It got so bad we had to create a system that measures Walt's EQ to warn of impending danger.

Yeah, it's based on the DEFCON nuclear thr*at system, which is apt, since when Walter's EQ is low, he is also a radioactive, destructive peril to civilization.

Happy: A five means all is well.

Purely theoretical. It's never happened.

Paige: And a one means...

He's gone nuclear.

Since you joined the team and began helping him, he's been at a steady four.

Toby: But now that you have started this sink-or-swim plan where he's on his own, he has slipped down to a three.

Paige, you have to help him before he gets worse.

No. I am trying to help Walter become a fully functioning human.

This is the best way to do that.

He might stumble, okay?

But eventually, he will learn.

You've had success with Walter in the past.

If you think this is the way to go, we're behind you.

(door creaks)

Thank you.

Excuse me.

Walter's gonna be a disaster.

Of biblical proportions.

You okay?

I couldn't sleep last night.

That's what happens when you realize that the men who want you dead know you're back in town.

Not to mention they saw you with Scorpion.

Our address is listed.

Those guys sh*t at us twice already.

When they came after us on the road, they thought I was alone.

They had no idea I was part of a group that has government ties.

They know that now, so they're not just gonna come barging in here... but at the same time...

We're a bit in the crosshairs.

I never wanted to put you all in danger.

I just need my cash, and then I'll go far away.

Here comes the rub.

That abandoned factory where we found the nuclear device?

I buried the money there.

That's why you jackhammered the floor.

I went back last week to finish and get my cash, and the workers showed up, and I bolted before they saw me, but now there's security there full-time, and I need your help to get it back.

I don't do cons anymore. I prefer the straight life-- a stable, honest job, a secure life.

(snores)

Oh, I'm so sorry. I fell asleep for a second there.

Please, honey. One last con for Mommy.

Cabe: Saddle up, everyone.

Time to leave for Colton.

What's in Colton?

Besides cows.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hired us to help some sandhog workers locate a leak in a municipal waterline.

You can't go. I need you.

This is it. One last time.

I promise.

I get my money, and I can disappear forever.

I never liked helping you with one of your schemes, not when I was nine and certainly not now, but I... don't want my friends in danger, and I really don't want Ralph in danger, so I will help you get the money, but this time, I'm in charge.

Fantastic. You have always had a natural gift for my line of work.

I cannot wait to see what you come up with.

Just... get your coat.

Oh, hey.

You don't need me for a simple engineering job, so I'm gonna help my mom out with something.

Well, we're dealing with civilians.

It's always good to have you there as a buffer.

You'll be fine.

Besides, it's good EQ practice for Walter, and who knows?

Maybe he'll finally start acting like a... polite, normal human being.

Attention, mole rats!

They're called sandhogs.

I am aware, but the nickname is illogical.

There is no “sandhog” in the zoological taxonomy, and since they work underground, lack Vitamin D, and are prone to sallow skin like mole rats, a blind underground rodent is a fitting moniker.

You must be Walter O'Brien.

Heard a lot about you, apparently all true.

Cabe Gallo.

Homeland.

Sorry about him. He's just, uh...

There's no point in explaining.

Call me Chief.

I run this sandhog unit, and I suggest you use the proper term or one of my men might give you a matching set.

I'll, uh, brief you over here.

This underground pipe carries water that cools the adjacent industrial fertilizer plant.

Now, a few weeks ago, the pressure readings started dropping.

Army Corps called us.

We found a fissure that we promptly fixed with the calcium hydroxide mortar.

The water pressure improved, but didn't return to normal.

So, there's a second leak.

Yes. We just can't find it.

Army Corps said that you guys helped save a kid from a sinkhole at the beach a few years ago.

Wanted you brought in.

Well, if you and your men please stay out of our way while we work, we should have the situation rectified very shortly.

All right, how about before you bench my team, you tell me how you plan to find the leak.

Maybe this guy can use, uh, one of his magic spells?

I'm from West Altadenia.

Oh, wonderful. Can I count on your vote?

No.

We'll use echolocation to find the leak.

Each of us has a remote scanner which emits sound waves.

They'll transmit data to my tablet, which will compute it and pinpoint the source of the problem.

Okay, but if you need to inspect other sections of pipe, you let me know and I'll accompany you, 'cause it could be dangerous.

What's that for?

Chief: We installed safety nets throughout the tunnels, strong enough to catch someone even if propelled by a rush of water.

You take a lot of precautions.

You said the word “danger” and “safety” two times in the last ten seconds.

You've had recent experience with accidents?

Hey.

We lost a foreman in an underground water break six months ago.

Chief knew him for 20 years, so how about you give him a little room, huh?

Oh, we'll give him all the room he needs.

We can handle it from here.

Toby: Walter has no idea how insensitive he sounds.

This is great.

Paige's plan is going like gangbusters so far.

You're the shrink. Straighten Walt out.

Well, my relationship with him is complicated.

He's gonna think that I'm manipulating him, and he'll resist my help.

It has to be you.

You think I have the emotional ability to handle Walt?

Oh, absolutely not, but what choice do we have?

(indistinct chatter)

This is one quality fake ID, all with supplies from the corner copy shop.

I knew you had the gift.

Yeah, well, Happy taught me a few things over the years.

Here. Do as I say.

No questions asked.

So bossy. I love it.

Paige: Who's the foreman here?

Who's asking?

OSHA.

This is an inspection.

All work stops now.

This place was red-flagged weeks ago.

The basement pillars are unstable.

They've already been inspected and approved for demo.

This is a spot safety check. Now, stop all work or this job gets a new foreman.

Wipe the grin off your face, and start the inspection or this guy won't be the only one looking for a new paycheck.

Happy: I got something in Sly's section.

Yeah, I got a ping, but I don't see any leaks.

That's because they're microleaks.

Hundreds of them, all invisible to the naked eye, leaking water into the soil above and around us.

With that many leaks, the water loss would be massive.

And since this is karst terrain underlaid by soluble limestone, that water would create an enormous, subterranean reservoir.

Which has dissolved into the limestone, weakening the ground surrounding this pipe.

Ground here is already weak.

You know, we're right above the San Fernando aquifer, one of the largest sources of drinking water for Southern California.

This is a problem.

Cover subsidence sinkholes can occur anywhere excess water dissolves soluble rock below the surface.

There is a strong likelihood a sinkhole could open up here.

Like those giant sinkholes in Florida?

Those things are portals to hell, only less hospitable.

If we disturb the soil any further, we could trigger a cave-in.

Stop the work.

That man didn't hear you.

He's wearing headphones.

He turns that thing on, he's gonna shake up the soil.

And then we have a cave in.

(motor whirring)

Too late, the earth's giving way.

Everyone evacuate, now!

Stop the work! Go, go, go, go, go!

(rumbling)

(rumbling continues)

Everyone run as far as you can!

Here it comes!

(rumbling)

♪ Scorpion 3x14 ♪
The Hole Truth
Original Air Date on January 23, 2017

Come on, come on! Keep moving, keep moving!

Come on.

(rumbling)

That building.

It only houses machinery.

There's no one inside.

But we're not out of the woods.

Sinkholes in this type of soil structure will continue to grow after the initial expanse.

This thing's gonna progressively get worse, which means we have a new problem.

That silo stores toxic chemicals for the fertilizer plant.

If this sinkhole widens much farther, the silo will fall in.

Which is bad, 'cause we're over the San Fernando aquifer.

Sylvester: And if the chemicals get into the sinkhole, permanently contaminating the aquifer, it'll eliminate potable drinking water for a swath of Southern California.

Millions'll lose their homes, businesses will be shut down, tens of thousands of acres of farmland will be rendered useless.

A fiscal and a humanitarian disaster.

We got to get those chemicals out of that silo before it falls in.

Is there an emergency pump system?

There is.

In the building that just got swallowed by the earth.

What about your truck?

Yeah, but it-it flows out, not in.

I can reverse it.

Joe! Go in that silo and connect a drainage hose to the holding vat, then get out, on the double.

Copy that, Chief.

That truck's t*nk isn't big enough to hold whatever's in a full silo!

Walter: Yeah, he's right.

We have to pump the chemicals from the silo to the truck and then out into some kind of a giant container.

Yeah, we passed a dairy farm on the way in.

They got milk trucks.

The silo holds almost 40,000 gallons.

Happy: A large straight-chassis truck will hold 10,000.

We'll commandeer four trucks and fill 'em up one at a time.

Not to be negative or anything, but this is completely hopeless.

By my calculations, the sinkhole is spreading too fast for us to pump out the chemicals before the silo falls in.

Then we only have one choice.

We need to slow down the sinkhole.

I know you have a God complex, Walter, but you're talking about stopping the earth.

Walter: When sinkholes formed around the Dead Sea, scientists designed a canal to relieve water pressure and stop it from spreading.

So, if we can create a relief well to drain out the excess water that is pooling underground, then we can slow it down.

Chief: In the '20s, this area was full of wells that tapped into the aquifer.

Even those that are a hundred yards away are strong enough to draw water from this area, reducing the saturation and slowing this collapse.

Those wells are in sheds all over this valley.

I could show you where.

Sly, come with me.

Let's get the pumps ready on my truck.

Okay.

Remember, if Walter and Chief get into it again, you're Paige.

You have to fix him.

Is jumping in the sinkhole an option?

I'm almost done turning your outtake valve into an intake.

Toby better get here with that dairy truck.

Joe, update on the hookup!

Hose is on the t*nk, but the connectors don't match.

They're loose.

I'll stay here and keep it secured manually.

Copy that, but this sinkhole is within 20 feet of the silo.

These Scorpion guys are trying to slow its spread, but once it closes that gap by half, you evacuate immediately. Understood?

Yes, sir.

You guys finish over here yet?

Outflow hose is ready.

I still don't understand how you're pulling this off.

If we explained, you probably wouldn't get it.

He didn't mean it like that.

Really?

Then how did he mean it?

Um... all he's saying is he's way smarter than you.

We all are.

Toby: Moo!

I got the cow juice jitney!

We fill this one up, the farm will lend us the other three.

I'll make sure there are no kinks in the line.

Let me guess, helping Walt didn't go well?

I might have made it worse.

Might've or did?

I'm kind of busy trying to save ten million Californians.

I don't have time to babysit that emotionally stunted genius.

You're right, we have a job to do.

Walt's on his own, just like Paige wanted.

He gets better or he doesn't.

I'm all set here!

Are the mole rats ready?

I'm going with “doesn't.”

The line's all good.

Set!

Joe, turn it on now.

(air hissing)

(grunts)

Out of the t*nk and into the truck.

And out of my connection.

Toby: And into my tanker!

It's working!

Happy: Yeah, but slowly.

These hoses weren't designed for this purpose.

At this rate, we won't have all the chemicals out by the time the sinkhole reaches the silo and it falls in.

Sly and Cabe better have found that relief well, we got to stop the spread of this earth girth.

(Cabe grunts)

(gate creaking)

It's heavy.

That generator is off-line, but there should be a release valve at the bottom.

It's too deep to see, at least 70 feet.

It'll draw in water quickly, reducing saturation in the valley, and slowing the sink hole.

So...

Oh, I get it.

Send the old guy.

Yeah.

(clears throat)

No problem.

Yeah.

Where's your magic wand when you need it?

We could use one of your, uh, illumination spells.

(laughing)

Yes, good one.

Foreman: Hey!

What'd you put in the briefcase?

Dirt samples, I found something I need to report.

What?

You know exactly what she found.

I don't.

Tell me.

Asbestos dust.

We got a call on our safety hotline that the gypsum in the concrete floor was full of it.

Absolutely.

Totally full of it.

Look, I swear I didn't know anything about asbestos.

Likely story.

I'll dispose of it properly on my own, just-- just don't shut down my job site.

Sorry, we have to send in the soil for testing and report it.

Let's go.

You know, we could look the other way if you just made it worth our while.

Like a bribe?

No. No, no. No bribe.

Just clean it up.

Okay.

Okay.

(squeaking)

Got it open!

Great work!

It should start slowing the sinkhole!

Chief: It's getting closer.

How long till I can pull my man out of that tower?

The chemicals aren't extricated yet.

Happy?

8,200 gallons down, 31,800 to go.

Joe: Chief, I secured the connections to the hose and I've come up to the top of the silo to open up the containment unit vents.

A change in pressure could get the chemical outflow moving faster.

Joe, get the hell off that roof!

I'm not keeping a man up there.

This is over!

More than you realize! Look!

We must've tapped the relief well too late.

That silo's gonna go over!

Get your man out of there now!

Joe, abort!

Get off now! Abort!

Oh, man.

Chief!

(metal creaking)

Joe, don't move an inch or the silo will fall into that sinkhole with you in it!

Along with those chemicals.

Which aren't getting pumped out anymore, because the hose is crimped under the silo.

Not good.

Sylvester: So... would you like to hear my position on eminent domain abuse in our fair city?

No.

Okay.

It's interesting and has to do with the Supreme Court case, Kelo v. The City of New London.

Listen, bozo, you ain't getting my vote.

(creaking, snapping)

Oh, no.

The rod broke!

The 1920s steel must have been corroded.

(grunts)

It's stuck.

What do you mean it's stuck?

Do I have to define “stuck” for you? It's oxidized, galvanized and now compromised steel that's been warped and stuck into place!

(grunts)

No dice. It won't move.

Cabe: I'm here.

Open it up.

About that...

(gate rattles)

Are you kidding me?

I got thousands of gallons of water coming up on me fast.

It'll be on me in a minute!

Sly, you got to get me out of here or I'm gonna drown!

(grunts)

It's no use.

Cabe: We're running out of time here, kid.

You got to think of something else.

We have to cut it open.

There's a power saw on the truck, but there's no electricity in here.

Then we make our own energy.

No time to explain.

Go grab the power saw, a screwdriver from your toolbox, some oil and a lug-wrench.

Cabe, we're gonna cut you out, but it could take a while.

I don't have a while.

The water's almost at my neck.

I-I can see that.

And by the time we're done on my end, it's gonna be over your head.

Wonderful.

Hey.

Everything you asked for.

Okay, great. Do as I say and do it quickly.

Use the screwdriver to pry the access panel off that old generator.

Kid, what's the plan here?

Sylvester: This old well pump was retrofitted for electricity, but originally, it was man-powered.

Out of my way.

Okay.

This wheel is where the crank went and kinetic motion generated a supply of energy by spinning a coil of conductive wire around a magnet.

Get the lug-wrench.

Frank, you will be spinning this.

Okay, out of my way.

All right.

Kid?

Hurry up!

Sylvester: Frank?

Spin the lug wrench as fast as you can.

Cabe, keep your fingers away from the edge of the grate.

Chief: Just-Just hold on up there, Joe.

No big moves, don't rock that boat.

What if I try to reach you through the silo's interior?

That won't cause enough movement to make it fall.

Not an option-- the door's pressed against the ground.

He's got no exit.

Then we need to drill an escape hatch.

No, the vibrations will shake it, it'll fall.

Also not an option.

Fertilizer's made with hydrochloric acid.

There'll be some inside the plant.

We could use it to dissolve the steel wall and then create an exit without shaking the silo.

Happy: That'll take time.

We'll have to stabilize the silo or it'll fall in before we're done.

But how?

It's ready to topple right now.

We secure it with cables.

Cables?

Are you crazy?

I'm about as crazy as the Italian engineers who secured the Leaning Tower of Pisa for 645 years.

Is that a good enough of a test run for you?

Okay-- oh, that was a great history lesson, Walt.

Italy sounds fun.

Hey, Chief, how about you and your men gather some cable so we can secure the silo?

Uh, we'll take care of the acid in the fertilizer plant to cut through the steel and get to Joe, and I'm gonna have a quick word with Walter.

(sirens chirping)

Hey, new rule: don't talk to Chief.

This is great.

Walt's a mess and the cops and reporters are here.

I hate to say it, but we really need the waitress.

(Veronica laughs)

The look on that guy's face when you threatened to write him up was priceless.

(chuckles)

Almost as priceless as your face when I yelled at you.

Seemed like your favorite part of the con.

Yep.

It felt great.

Today wasn't like the old days.

It was...

Fun?

I was going to say less traumatic, but also fun.

Now for something less fun.

We're being followed.

Okay, let's review the plan: after you take me to Union Station, you file a complaint with the DA that I conned you and Scorpion out of some serious cash.

That way the bad guys will think you have no idea where I am, 'cause I ripped you off, and they'll leave you alone.

And you're on a train and off somewhere, and I never see you again.

That's the way it's got to be.

I know, I-I just wish there was a better way.

Constantly looking over your shoulder isn't much of a life.

Wait, is that genuine concern for your mother?

No, it's just an observation.

(alert chimes)

(beep)

Read message.

Automated voice: Toby says, “Walter is at Waltcon 2. Dude is a Dumpster fire. Cops and reporters everywhere. For more details, turn on KBX560.”

(beep)

Reporter: ...the situation at Colton's Central Fertilizer Plant, where a massive sinkhole is on the verge of toppling a chemical storage silo with a worker trapped inside.

The pit is deep and unstable.

And if the silo falls, authorities believe the worker will be unrecoverable.

Oh, my God, we got to get there.

Text Toby.

We're on our way.

(beep)

What about the company following us?

Let 'em follow.

All right, we're making some progress.

Just hold on!

I got one last big breath and I'm under, kid.

I'll have you out of there in less than a minute. Trust me.

(gasps)

Faster!

He's losing consciousness!

No, it broke!

Okay.

Come on!

(both grunt)

(Cabe groaning)

Cabe!

Oh, Cabe, all right...

(panting)

You okay?

You okay, Cabe?

I'm all right.

Good work.

Thanks.

(Sylvester panting)

All right.

You got my vote.

(both chuckle)

It's going over!

It's falling!

g*n it!

(engine revs)

It's steady at 15 degrees.

Keep the engine running.

It's holding, but who knows for how long?

What's your ETA?

Well, the steel's thicker than I thought; might not get through in time.

See, the more the silo tilts, the more the pounds per square inch of pressure the trucks need to counterbalance, and with their horsepower, if the silo drops even four degrees more, it falls.

I won't lose another one of my guys.

We can't let this happen.

What are you doing?

I don't engage in futile endeavors.

I'll never get through the steel in time.

You're not quitting on my guy!

I am trying to save your guy, but my best chance is for you to leave me alone and let me think.

Chief: There is no time to think.

If we don't do something soon, it's the same as letting him fall!

That's it.

We let him fall.

I am so sorry.

Some of the acid must've fallen on his head and it's eating his brain.

Those safety nets you have, we tie them together, we stretch them across the sinkhole, we cut the cables, we let the silo drop onto the nets and catch it, and then Joe gets out to safety.

Those nets are designed to catch people, not buildings.

If we tie them with the right amount of give, it might flex just the right amount and hold.

You know what else they might do?

Break and send the kid plummeting to his death.

Get out of my way.

This is the only way to save your worker.

If you had my IQ, you'd understand, but I suppose you're okay with losing another man.

Why does this keep happening to me?

'Cause you suck at talking to people.

You got to convince the Chief to do your plan.

Now, Paige gave you some tools to be a quasi-human.

You just got to use them.

I... I stated facts when I should have considered your feelings.

I was unintentionally insensitive.

I've been insensitive my whole life.

But I know how you feel because I-I've lost somebody who was close to me, too.

I believe in my plan, but time is short.

How many nets do you need?

Okay, we're ready.

Hold on, Joe.

Ready!

Okay, on three, cut the cables.

One, two... three!

(cables snap and whip, silo creaks)

(silo creaking)

Nothing but net!

Joe, hurry up and get out of there.

Joe, come in.

Joe!

I can't... stand.

My leg's broken.

Hold tight!

Help's on the way!

He's hurt, but he's okay.

(loud creak)

Or not.

Chief: What the hell was that?

The silo's fracturing. We have to get him off of there now!

Happy: Adding a couple hundred pounds to this mess might not be the best way to stay alive.

Move fast.

(car horn honks)

(vehicle pulls up)

What the hell is going on here?

Silo, man trapped, Walter on top with sandhog.

Up to speed.

Walter: I see him!

Okay, here we go.

Chief: No, wait, wait, wait, wait, he's my man, I'll go.

No, you need to pull him up.

You have more upper body strength than I do.

Not a lot of square footage on that box for a clean landing.

(quietly): One, two...

(grunts)

No!

(Walter groans)

Chief: Grab Joe's hand and pull yourself up.

(both groan)

Walter: Okay, here, here.

Grab onto my shoulder.

Push yourself up with your good leg, yeah, great.

Okay, now turn around.

Yeah, here we are.

Grab hold of him.

You got him?

I got him. Frank?

(Walter grunts)

(people clamoring)

What the hell happened here?

I left Walter in charge.

Let 'em in!

I'm sorry...

Wait.

They won't try to get past the cops, but they'll be waiting for me when I leave.

We'll deal with them later.

That silo looks like it's about to give!

Shake a tail feather, fellas!

Let's go!

Let's go! Get it in gear!

Paige: What the hell happened?

I thought you guys came in to fix a leak in a pipe.

Cabe: Nice and easy, Chief.

I'm spotting you.

Toby: Easy now, no pressure on that leg.

Let's get you seated.

Ambulance is on its way.

(cr*ck and hiss)

That's not environmentally friendly.

The chemicals are in.

Permeation rates in this type of geology, we're talking less than 30 minutes until they reach the aquifer and contaminate it.

How do you stop liquid that's already in a sinkhole?

Trick question, you can't.

We're screwed.

California's screwed.

If you're gonna think of something, you better do it fast, Walt.

I'm trying to find a solution.

Pestering doesn't help.

Paige: Is anyone gonna fill me in on that second black eye?

Yeah, Walt had another incident like the one this morning, where he got in a fight over frequent guest punch cards.

You mean those cards where you get one punch per visit?

It's one punch per purchase.

And now's not the time...

Wait a minute, yes, it is.

It... It's time for the Cello Shell-o!

I love a good fro-yo as much as the next guy, but it's kind of bad form to get dessert while Southern California's being poisoned.

No. A-A hardening shell. That's how we prevent the chemicals from getting into the aquifer.

The sandhogs were fixing the leak with mortar made with calcium hydroxide.

They have bags of it in the tunnel.

And the fertilizer chemicals contain fluoride.

Calcium hydroxide plus fluoride will harden that chemical sludge like cement.

Or like a Cello Shell-o.

Happy: Once it solidifies, it won't be able to seep into the aquifer.

Exactly! Now we need something to mix the solution.

I saw just the thing in the plant, but I'll need help.

Doc, come on!

We'll get the bags of mortar.

Walter. We have a moment.

You and I need to talk.

Happy: These turbines will churn up the solution like a cake mixer, so the calcium hydroxide will react faster with the fluoride.

Toby: Speeding up the hardening of the Cello Shell-o over the aquifer.

All right. That's the last of the mortar.

Let's mix this cake batter!

(whirring)

Cabe: Give 'em some juice!

It's working.

The shell is forming!

It's thickening.

In a few minutes, it'll be hard as rock, and then a Hazmat team can come in to remove the toxic material piece by piece.

Walter, be careful. Your foot...

(screams) (shouting)

Mom!

Today's sinkhole disaster turned tragic when Los Angeles entrepreneur Veronica Dineen fell to her death into a caustic toxic soup which was in the process of hardening to prevent seeping into a major SoCal aquifer.

Authorities believe her body will never be...

I'm worried about her being alone right now.

We're right here if she needs us.

She can handle this.

I was surprised you took my call.

You're harassing me hours after my mother's death, so it's clear you... aren't going away until we have it out, so... what the hell do you want?

My money.

You were there.

You saw her fall into the sinkhole with her briefcase.

That money got just as eaten up by the acidic chemicals as my mother.

Did see that.

But here's the thing.

Her debts are now yours.

Let me tell you my situation.

I'm a single mom who waitressed up until two and a half years ago.

I make less than six figures a year, I have four grand in my bank account.

You want to set up a payment plan? Fine.

You'll be whole by 2094.

And why should I believe you?

You can believe whatever you like.

But if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone now. because as much as I'm nothing like my mom, because she was selfish and unreliable, she was my mother.

And I loved her, and I'll miss her.

So, please let me grieve.

Clear!

(exhales)

Finally. I could smell his cologne from in there.

I thought he'd never leave.

Go ahead. Bad guy's gone.

(gasps)

Ralph! Honey! Oh.

Ah...

I want to know how you did it.

Happy wouldn't tell me.

Master plan should come from the architect.

Actually, it was your mom's idea.

Well, Ralph, I didn't want Grandma to be on the run her whole life.

Reporter: The pit is deep and unstable, and if the silo falls, authorities believe the worker will be unrecoverable.

Paige: That's when I got the idea.

Walter. We have a moment.

You and I need to talk.

Oh. I assume you've heard I've been misbehaving.

Uh, yeah. We can deal with that later.

But I need you to help save my mom?

Can you get any more of those big sandhog nets?

Paige: We set up the net in the broken part of the pipe that went into the sinkhole.

Walter stood in his predetermined spot, and once we knew the chemical mix was hardening, he slipped his foot under the extension cord,

Veronica: I did the rest... all for the benefit of my pals who were watching from close by.

Walter. Be careful. Your foot...

(screams)

(shouting)

Son of a bitch.

Our money.

Veronica: Thanks to one hell of a con by my little girl,

I am now free and clear.

Speaking of which, I have a new birth certificate, driver's license and Social Security card.

They're real McCoys, so you won't have any problems.

I... don't know what to say to all of you.

(chuckles softly)

Thank you.

It's nothing.

We make fake IDs all the time.

No.

Thank you for... giving my daughter something that I couldn't.

A family.

Ralph, honey.

I'm gonna have to keep a low profile.

Otherwise I'd insist that you and I stay pen pals.

You don't get off that easily.

I built an encrypted ID scrambler so we can e-mail each other.

Of course you did.

And Walter.

What you did today, with your Cello Shell-o trick at the sinkhole, was very impressive.

Oh. Thank you.

That's the thing about real chemistry.

If you have the right ingredients, you just need to be patient, and... eventually everything will work out.

Real subtle.

(whispers): Keep working at it, Pinocchio.

Someday you'll be a real boy.

I can feel it.

(exhaling): Well.

This is it, so...

All right. We should all get back to work.

We don't have any work.

Read between the lines.

b*at it so they can talk alone.

Oh.

I heard that nice thing you said about me.

Oh, to the man who was trying to k*ll you? Yeah.

Don't let it go to your head.

They were just for the con.

Well, in order for a con to work, you have to believe what you're saying.

Maybe I believed some of it.

I'll take that as a win.

Just because I can't seem to change for you, doesn't mean that Walter can't.

I don't care for him in that way anymore, Mom.

Now you're just conning yourself.

I'll miss you.

I always miss you.

(sniffles)

Mom.

My car keys.

I figured Homeland would reimburse you.

Good-bye, Mom.

Good-bye, sweetheart.

Oh, and, um, check your desk drawer.

I left you a little something.

(chuckles)

Okay.

(exhales)

“Dear Paige, I know you've never taken any of my ill-gotten gains. But this is for Ralph. Tell him a con's not over until Grandma says it's over. Love, Mom.”

Guys? I'm gonna need help opening an offshore account.